Centerville teacher accused of abuse resigns

A preschool teacher at Centerville Elementary School accused of mistreating special needs students has resigned, according to school officials.

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By PATRICK CASSIDY

capecodtimes.com

By PATRICK CASSIDY

Posted Aug. 22, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Aug 22, 2014 at 2:26 AM

By PATRICK CASSIDY

Posted Aug. 22, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Aug 22, 2014 at 2:26 AM

» Social News

CENTERVILLE — A preschool teacher at Centerville Elementary School accused of mistreating special needs students has resigned, according to school officials.

Cora Shillinglaw, who teaches with the Barnstable Integrated Preschool Program, was placed on administrative leave in June after allegations that she bullied students. The accusations prompted investigations by Barnstable Public Schools, Barnstable police and the state Department of Children and Families.

"The Barnstable Public Schools has completed their investigation and because this is a personnel matter, I cannot share specific details of this matter," Barnstable Public Schools Superintendent Mary Czajkowski said in a prepared statement. "However, I can inform you that the teacher has resigned her employment with the Barnstable Public Schools."

Repeated attempts to contact Shillinglaw were unsuccessful. She was hired by the district in 2006 and was paid $71,764 in 2013, according to town records.

DCF has completed its investigation as well, according to agency spokeswoman Cayenne Isaksen.

"Appropriate referrals were made to the local district attorney's office," Isaksen wrote in an email. She did not offer any other explanation about what the agency found or what "appropriate referrals" means.

A DCF official previously told preschool parent Tara Helms that several witnesses alleged Shillinglaw had used derogatory language, made inappropriate comments and resorted to rough handling of children, including Helms' 5-year-old. Helms said she was told the behavior had been ongoing throughout the school year.

"I want them to put some kind of rules and regulations into place so that something this awful can't happen again," said Helms.

She said she didn't understand why there weren't cameras in the special education classrooms, as there are in other school districts. A DCF worker told her that the case involving her son was considered closed because he was switching schools, Helms said Thursday.

Barnstable police have completed the bulk of their investigation and the case is now being reviewed by the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office, Barnstable police Detective Lt. Sean Balcom said.

"The allegations are certainly disturbing and the question is, does it rise to criminal behavior," Balcom said.

Balcom said there is additional work to do, that investigators will be speaking with experts in special-needs education and that they are waiting to see what the district attorney's office thinks about a possible case.

Cape and Island District Attorney Michael O'Keefe's office did not return a message left seeking comment.

Czajkowski said she is taking steps to avoid similar situations in the future.

"We've requested DCF to provide some additional training for our staff in filing 51A reports," she said about the reports that require teachers and other mandated reporters to alert child welfare officials of abuse, neglect, physical injury or emotional injury to children.

The installation of surveillance cameras could raise questions about student and teacher privacy, she said. But she added that each of six new classrooms being built as part of the district's new early learning center will be equipped with a one-way mirror, which is common for student observation.

"Obviously this did not happen when she was alone with kids," Czajkowski said. "To me the solution may be less surveillance and more training. We always want to create an atmosphere where our employees feel comfortable reporting."

It's an unfortunate situation but the goal is to make sure it never happens again and that employees feel they can report potential problems without fear of retaliation, she said.

Shillinglaw's father, James Shillinglaw, was director of the Barnstable schools special education program in the late 1990s when two parents raised concerns over the use of restraints on autistic children at Centerville Elementary School and later filed suit. He left the district in 2000.